Friends for the Fight
by PleaseDon'tGetMeRescued
Summary: Beck kisses Tori. Again. Jade leaves, or so they all think.  Only Andre knows the truth about where she is and what's going on.
1. Chapter 1

**This first chapter is pretty short, but I promise they will get longer. **

Chapter One- Signs

She should've known. She should've understood the signs.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

She rested her head on her desk, feeling extremely tired despite the seven hours of sleep she got. She was dozing off when the bell rang and she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She blearily looked up at Beck without lifting her head from the desk. "Are you alright, Jade? You seem awfully tired today babe." He was looking at her with concern.

"I'm fine, I just-"

"Ok, class is starting. Beck sit down, Jade wake up." Jade lifted her head from the desk, but felt drained just from doing so. Beck shot her another worried glance before taking his seat.

Despite her best effort, Jade was asleep in class five minutes later.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

Later, when she had regained at least some f her energy, Jade made her way up to the local public high school for her evening run. She'd felt fine when she left, but by the time she got there she was already exhausted. Convincing herself she was fine, she took off into a steady jog. Normally she would run 12 laps, 3 miles, easily. However, by the time she'd reached her third lap she was forced to stop and she collapsed onto the soft turf of the football field. She lay there completely spent for at least fifteen minutes before she made herself get up and walk home.

She was asleep the second she dropped down onto her bed.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

She was so tired. Her feet felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each as she trudged down the steps towards her locker. She felt so weak. She could barely move her arms and legs as she propelled herself forward on autopilot.

She felt dizzy and her legs gave out underneath her. She fell to the floor. People laughed and before she even knew what had happened Beck and Tori Vega were at her side. She stared up at them, mortified. She pushed herself up off the floor, snapped that she was fine, and with the rest of the energy she had left in her body, walked to the bathroom to be alone.

The next day when she arrived at school, Jade had bruises on her legs, knees, arms, and elbows.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

A few hours later Beck met her at her locker. He greeted her with a short peck on the lips and she opened her locker.

"So are you alright?"

"What do you mean?" Jade asked, annoyed.

"I mean after yesterday-"she was violently shoving books in her locker and grabbing things to put in her bag. She suddenly felt a sharp sting on her forearm and she dropped the book she had been clutching with a hiss of pain. "Damn it!" she cried out.

"Here, here let me see!" Beck replied hurriedly. She had scratched her arm open on the metal of her locker, cutting through the long sleeve of her shirt. She let Beck push up her shirtsleeve without thinking about the bruises she had been trying to hide from him. He gasped when he saw her bruised forearm and the scratch oozing blood. "Jade what happened to you! Why are you all bruised up?" he asked pushing up her other sleeve as well.

"It's from when I fell yesterday," she retorted.

"I didn't think you fell that hard," he said in worry.

"Neither did I."

Beck took a Band-Aid out of his backpack (_Why was he always prepared for everything?_) and placed it over the scratch on her arm. He gave her a quick kiss as a worried look asking if she was ok.

"I'm fine," Jade lied.

Hours later when she went to take off the Band-Aid, she was still bleeding.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

During one of the many nights she spent in Beck's RV as opposed to her own house, she thrashed around on the bed next to him. Thinking she was having a nightmare he quickly shook her awake. Her eyes snapped open and they just stared at each other. "Babe, are you alright?" he asked, terrified, while cupping her face. She was breathing hard and she was totally drenched in sweat.

Jade nodded her head vigorously and Beck wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. She hugged him back and inhaled the smell of him, calming down slightly. They lay back down together and she was asleep again soon after.

She woke up with labored breathing and sweaty twice more that night.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

The next morning Beck kept a close eye on her.

He noticed how she was much paler than she usually was, if that was possible. He also noticed the way her clothes hung from her from. They were much looser than they had been just a week before. When he commented, Jade replied quickly, "I haven't had much of an appetite lately." It wasn't untrue at all.

"Jade, you still need to eat," he argued. She said she was fine and he reluctantly let it go.

The next week, her clothes were even bigger.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

She should've known. She should've understood the signs.

The fatigue. The bruising and bleeding. The night sweats and the labored breathing. The loss of appetite. All of it.

But, the biggest sign she should've seen was the way Beck looked at Tori and Tori looked at Beck. She should've seen she was losing him…in more ways than one.

**I'm sorry if it seems OOC. This is my first Victorious fic. It's been stuck in my head for a while now. Please let me know what you think so far in a review! Also, please let me know if you catch any spelling mistakes or if you have any suggestions, questions, or constructive criticism. I would love to know what you guys think. Thanks!**

**Love, always,**

**May**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! Chapter two! Thank you so much to those of you that reviewed. They mean the world to me and I love to hear what you have to say. This chapter is a little bit longer. I hope you like it! **

**I know I forgot to say this last chapter, but I don't own **_**Victorious**_**, unfortunately. **

Chapter Two - Collapse

She felt like she was dying. She couldn't take it. Just walking from her classroom to her locker left her exhausted and gasping for breath.

But what completely knocked the air from her lungs was the sight of Beck making out with Tori Vega. He had her trapped between him and her locker. _Jade's _locker. It was obvious the kiss was passionate because Tori's hands were in his hair and he was holding her face in his hands.

She saw it as soon as she turned the corner. She gasped even louder and dropped what was in her hands. They broke apart startled at the sound. Tori looked down guiltily and Beck just stared at Jade, his face full of regret and concern. He was worried not only because of the tears that were starting to stream down her face, but because of how deathly pale, thin, exhausted she looked. He reached his arm out to her and she flinched away.

She couldn't look at him. Or Tori. She was disgusted. Not with them, but with herself. She should've known. The way they looked at each other. The way they smiled at each other. She'd always just ignored it, telling herself that Beck loved her. She thought he did. He told her he did. But, here he was pushing some girl that wasn't her up against _her own _locker and kissing her the way he used to kiss her. She should've seen it coming.

She averted her eyes as Beck tripped over his words and tried to reach out to her. Suddenly she felt more exhausted than ever. She backed away from him every time he took a step closer. "Jade, let me explain. It isn't what it looked like." _Such a cliché thing to say at a time like this_, she thought.

When he said it, she didn't miss the look of pain that crossed Tori's face. "Oh really? What is it then Beck?" She didn't even have the energy to glare at them. All she could do was cry and wonder why this was happening to her.

Then she saw Andre. He had the same look on his face that she had on hers. Hurt. Andre took in the whole scene and knew instantly what was going on. He'd seen it coming. For some reason there had always seemed to be a connection between Beck and Tori. The thought made him sad.

The look on Jade's face saddened him too. He'd never seen her cry and now there were tears streaming down her face like someone had turned on a faucet. She looked thin and weak. Pale and sick and tired and unhealthy. He'd noticed lately how she's been different. Quieter.

People were staring as Jade reached the lockers on the other side of the hall. She leaned against them and continued to cry. With nowhere to go, Beck fully approached her and softly held her elbow, looking at her, eyes full of guilt and sorrow. "Jade, I love you. You know that. I'm sorry, okay? That, that was a mistake. I didn't mean it. It didn't mean anything."

She glanced at Tori and neither Jade nor Andre missed the look of pain cross over Tori's face again. It took all her strength to whip her head around and glare at Beck. "You're such a liar." And with that she broke free of his gentle hold and ran out the school doors. Leaving the binder of sheet music she'd dropped on the floor.

Andre looked at Tori with a disappointed and sad look before picking up Jade's binder and approaching Beck. "Dude, I may not be close friends with Jade, but what is wrong with you? That's just wrong. Don't you know how much she loves you?" Both Andre and Beck knew what he was saying was true. Although she was hard and closed off on the outside, Andre had never missed the way she would look at Beck and her face would soften and she somehow seemed brighter. Beck had always made her happy. He made her glow and not so detached. Now, all Beck had done was bring her down.

Beck gave a hard sigh and slammed his fist into the nearest locker. "God, what did I do?" It was obvious that he regretted what he and Tori had done only a minute before. "I have to fix this…" He began to move towards the door. Andre blocked his path quickly.

"Don't bother," He snapped. "She won't want to talk to you." Beck knew he was right. With that, Andre hurried out the door after Jade.

He had no idea why he was doing it. Sure Jade was his sort-of friend, but they weren't close. They barely talked. Why did he feel the need to make sure she was okay? He knew the answer. They were the same. In the same situation. The person they loved wanted someone else. Her Beck wanted Tori. His Tori wanted Beck. Although he couldn't really call Tori his, he had liked her since the day he walked into her house to help Trina with her big showcase. His feelings for the half-Latina had only increased as time went on. Jade was losing Beck. Andre was losing Tori. They were the same.

He ran out the double door of the school and out into the parking lot. He quickly scanned for Jade. She had come to school with Beck this morning, like she always did. She had no car, where was she going to go? He spotted her up near the front of the parking lot, still running, but obviously exhausted. He sprinted after her but she just kept going.

It took all her energy to keep moving. Her run had quickly become a slow jog and she felt like she was going to pass out. But, she kept going. Andre followed her down the sidewalk about half a block out side of the school parking lot before Jade collapsed.

Andre yelled her name and ran faster.

She lay on the sidewalk, half unconscious. He dropped his backpack and her binder and knelt down beside her and lifted her head and shoulders off the hard ground. "Jade, Jade oh my gosh." She was sweaty and clammy. Her skin was whiter that a sheet of paper and she looked incredibly small and frail laying there in his lap. Tears stained her cheeks and rolled down her face and neck before falling to the sidewalk, leaving dark marks there. This wasn't the same girl he knew. The girl that wasn't afraid to speak her mind or demand attention. This wasn't the girl that knocked freshman into lockers when they got in her way, or the girl that controlled the stage the moment she stepped foot on it. This wasn't Jade.

She shuttered there in his arms and looked up at him unsteadily. What should he do? Should he go get someone at the school for help? Should he call an ambulance? "Andre…please don't tell Beck." It was a whisper. If he hadn't been paying attention he wouldn't have heard it. Her eyes fluttered closed and she sagged a little in his arms. Andre's eyes widened in surprise and without hesitation he lifted her easily into his arms. Gosh she was light. She must weigh only 90 pounds, if that. How much weight had she lost? What was wrong with her? Without the slightest struggle, he hurriedly walked with her laying limp in his arms to his car parked in the school lot, leaving his bag and her binder full of sheet music behind. He laid her down in the backseat and quickly got in the driver seat. Driving ten over the speed limit, Andre raced to the hospital as fast as he could.

In the back seat, Jade's eyes fluttered behind her lids. She didn't even have the strength to open her eyes. All she could do was stay still and think. What she thought, was one thing.

_My whole world is collapsing around me._

**How was it? Amazing? Good? Okay? Bad? You hated it? Please let me know by REVIEWING! I love it when you do! **

**Also, I'm not sure if they can drive in the show (I don't think so but I'm not 100% sure), but for the sake of this chapter, they can. And, please let me know if you think anything is too OOC or you find spelling mistakes. **

**Thanks so much, and don't forget to review!**

**Love, Always,**

**May**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three - Friends

_She saw it as soon as she turned the corner. She gasped even louder and dropped what was in her hands. They broke apart startled at the sound. Tori looked down guiltily and Beck just stared at Jade, his face emotionless._

"_Beck? What the hell is going on?" She slowly made her way over to him, placing her hands on his chest._

"_Jade, it's over."_

"_What?" Tears stung her eyes. This couldn't be happening._

"_I said it's over." The look on his face was dead serious, even annoyed._

"_But…you love me. You said you love me." He gripped her hands in his and looked into her eyes._

"_I don't. I lied, Jade. I don't love you."_

"_Yea," Tori said, pushing her away from Beck. "He loves me, obviously."_

"_I do love you," Beck said, leaning down to kiss Tori again, ignoring Jade and the tears that slipped down her cheeks. "I love you Tori."_

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

_Jade, it's over. I love you Tori. I lied, Jade. I don't love you._

_I don't love you. _

_I don't love you… _

Her eyes snapped open and she gasped, trying to sit up. A warm hand held her down gently. She heard a soft, steady beeping noise and looked around the room.

A hospital.

The walls were painted a soft, ugly shade of green and there was a TV on the wall in front of her. There was an IV in her wrist and she was wearing a hospital gown. The whiteboard on the wall announced that her room nurse was Cindy. She instantly pictured a perky blonde woman with bright blue eyes and too high of a voice.

The next thing she noticed was that the hand on her shoulder belonged to none other than Andre. She caught his gaze and held it. "What happened?" she asked. Her voice was raspy and quiet. Her head was pounding and she felt groggy. Her entire body ached and she could literally feel the bruises covering her body throb. That mixed with Beck's words repeating in her mind over and over again, she felt, if possible, worse than she had before.

"You ran out of school after Beck-" here he stopped, seeming to regret answering her question. "Well, you ran out and collapsed on the sidewalk. It's a good thing I chased after you or who knows how long you could have been there," he said with a small smile.

Jade didn't smile back.

_I do love you. _ Beck's words clouded her head. _I love you, Tori. _Suddenly she felt dizzy and gripped the railing on the side of her bed.

"W-why did you follow me, Andre?" She hated how uncertain and weak she sounded.

"Listen Jade, you and I may not be close, or maybe we're not even friends, but you and I, we're in the same spot. I know how you feel."

Jade knew that ever since the day Tori showed up at Hollywood Arts, Andre, and every other guy there (_including your own boyfriend, _she reminded herself) had had an eye out for her. She was smart, funny, nice, and obviously beautiful. Why wouldn't they all drool over her?

"No you don't," Jade whispered harshly. "I know how you feel about Vega, Andre, but you never had her. You never had her, and who knows if you ever would have. But I had Beck. I had Beck, and she just shows up out of the blue and takes him away from me. I don't think you or anyone else at school realizes just how much I need him. He's the only thing that ever kept me sane and now Tori Vega just waltzed right in and took him from me. So don't tell me that you know how I feel or that we're even anywhere close to being in the same situation, because losing someone you had is completely different from losing someone you never will have."

Andre just stared at her, his eyes full of understanding and remorse. He looked down, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry Jade, I didn't think about it like that. You're totally right."

Great, now she felt bad.

At that moment the doctor stepping into the room. "Hello, Jade. I'm glad to see you're finally awake. My name is Dr. Eric Morgan and I'm going to be your doctor during your stay with us." God, he made it sound like she was at a freaking hotel. Doctor Morgan was a middle aged man with golden blond hair and startling blue eyes. "And you must be the young man that brought Jade in, am I right? Are you the boyfriend?"

Both Jade and Andre tensed. "Andre, sir. And no, just a friend." Jade slipped her hand into his without realizing it.

"I'm sorry, my mistake. Now, Jade, how are you feeling?" the doctor asked calmly.

"Like I got hit by a train." Both Andre and Doctor Morgan chuckled lightly at that. Jade, however did not, seeing as it was true. "What's wrong with me?" she asked nervously.

"Unfortunately, we're not sure yet." Andre gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We're running some tests and we'll let you know as soon as possible. Now, is there a phone we can reach your parents at, Jade? We can't seem to find a number for them."

_Why does he have to say my name every five seconds? _Jade thought to herself.

"No, there isn't. They've been gone for a few weeks. They do this all the time. They go off on some fabulous trip somewhere without warning and without taking me. I get home and there'll be a note on the table saying they don't know when they'll be back or where they're going. They always leave their cell phones at home though. Nice parents, right?"

"Do you have any other family we could contact? I'm sure you don't want to be here all by yourself."

"No, just my cousin Kelsey. She's only eighteen though, hardly an adult," Jade sounded annoyed but in actuality she was excited to see her cousin and best friend again. It'd been almost an entire year.

"Well it's better than no support at all. Do you have a number we can reach her on?" The doctor looked at her curiously.

"Yes, in my phone," he face and spirits fell. "Which is in my locker at school."

"That's alright," Andre said. "I'll just bring it back with me tomorrow after school." _Tomorrow after school? What time is it now? _

"That sounds good. We'll give her a call tomorrow, alright Jade?" She nodded her head at the doctor's words. "Alright," he said, giving her a pat on the shoulder before exiting the room.

"Andre, what time is it now?"

"Almost 9:30. You've been out for about eleven hours," he replied.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She was confused. Jade had never been nearly nice enough to Andre to deserve him doing anything like this for her.

"Why not?" was his simple answer. He stood up and carefully untangled his hand from hers, trying to avoid pulling at her IV. "So I'll be back tomorrow after school with your phone and some other stuff. Sound good?" He was already over by the door.

"Thank you," Jade said sheepishly. "Andre, please don't tell anyone I'm here ok? I don't want them to know."

"I promise. But Jade, being in here doesn't make you weak. And nobody ever would think that about you anyway."

"Thanks," she said, looking down at her hands folded in her lap. Andre was already walking out the door when her voice stopped him again. "And Andre?" He looked at her in question. "About what you said earlier, we are friends."

He gave her a warm smile before walking off, leaving Jade to an empty room filled only with the sound of her beeping heart monitor.

**Alright guys, there's chapter three. I hope you enjoyed it. **

**I would first like to say thank you all so, so, so much for reading. And a special thank you to all of those who reviewed/alerted/favorite whatever. It means more than I can describe. **

**Secondly, I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to update as fast as I have been. I started school last week and I've already got a project to do, a book to read, and two essays to write. However, it is a holiday weekend this weekend so hopefully I'll be able to push out a few chapters over the break. **

**Next chapter will mostly revolve around Andre, just FYI.**

**Thanks again for everything. **

**Love, always,**

**May**

**P.S. Review, please?**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four- Sorry

Back had been more than surprised to see Andre's backpack and Jade's binder lying on the sidewalk abandoned as he drove home the day before. He was so torn up he'd almost missed them. But somehow he caught them out of the corner of his eye. Slamming on his brakes, he had jumped out of his car and ran over to the sidewalk. He picked up the backpack up and slung it over his shoulder before picking up Jade's binder and studying the front. It was bright green and had black sharpie writing all over it.

"_Beck, what are you doing? Give it back!"_

"_Nope. Just wait."_ _Taking a sharpie out of his backpack he started writing all over the front cover of the binder containing her sheet music. Handing it back to her, he saw her eyes sparkle as she read it. He had written all her favorite song lyrics along with a large _I love you, Jade _on the cover. _

"_Thanks Beck," she said, hugging him. "I love you too."_

Later on, Beck sat on the bed in his RV and looked through her sheet music. There had to be at least forty songs in there. Songs about hurt and love and heartbreak. Songs that were deep and sad. Lines and lines of depressing lyrics about losing the one you love to someone else. They were so unlike Jade. This wasn't the kind of music she listened to.

Beck couldn't help but what had brought on the change.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

Andre sat at the lunch table alone. School hadn't started yet and he was the first of his friends to get there. His thoughts were occupied with Jade. So they were friends now. He was glad; there was no way she would be able to do this by herself. Whatever it was that was wrong with her was obviously taking its toll on her. Even before he'd watched her pass out on the sidewalk the day before he had known that there was something up. She wasn't as fierce. Her normally white pale had seemed to become translucent and there were constant circles under her eyes. Not to mention she was quiet. She hardly talked at all, and when she did it was almost shy. She was never mean to anyone.

I that wasn't a sign then Andre didn't know what was.

He was glad that she had admitted to being his friend. He didn't want her to have to go through being in the hospital for who knows how long by herself. Ever since yesterday his thoughts had been filled with just her. He worried that she was seriously sick and that she might not get better. Jade, despite normally being nasty and mean, was his friend, and she needed him.

Just then Beck walked up with Andre's backpack in hand. He set it down on the seat next to Andre before speaking. "Hey man, how'd it go yesterday? Is Jade alright? I found your bag on the sidewalk yesterday on my way home. What was it doing there? And I tried to call both you and Jade but neither of you answered. Is she alright? Is she still mad at me?" He just kept firing off questions.

"Come on man, what do you think? Of course she's still mad at you. She caught you making out with Tori up against her own locker! How exactly did you expect that do go over? Did you think it would end well?" He couldn't help but feel protective over Jade, especially now that he knew she was so sick.

"I don't know man. I'm not even sure why I did it. All I know is that one second I was standing there waiting for Jade, the next I was kissing Tori, the next Jade was there, running away. I don't know why I did it."

"Oh please Beck. I'm your best friend and I don't even buy that bullshit." Standing up angrily, Andre picked up his backpack and turned away. "Thanks for bringing my bag back."

He started to walk off but Beck grabbed his arm to stop him. "Wait. How is she? Is she alright?"

"No. She won't be here today," Andre replied. "In fact, she won't be back for a while." He shrugged his arm out of Beck's grasp before walking away.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

Lunch was extremely awkward to say the least.

Andre walked up to see Cat and Robbie quietly conversing, Rex, oddly, nowhere to be seen. Tori was staring intently at her salad and Beck was reading through something in a binder. A bright green binder…just like Jade's. Andre realized Beck was looking through Jade's sheet music, reading the notes she had made beside each line. For some reason, this enraged him. Slamming his lunch tray down on the table, he quickly snatched the binder out of Beck's hands. "What the hell Beck. Why are you reading Jade's stuff?"

Everyone just stared up at him in shock. "I'm sorry," Beck replied, standing from his seat and glaring at his companion. "I wasn't aware that I wasn't allowed to read my own girlfriend's sheet music."

"Yea, well you're not. And for the record, Jade isn't your girlfriend anymore!" So it was technically a lie. Although Jade probably wouldn't admit it, Andre knew she would always have trouble trusting Beck now, and she would never date a guy she didn't trust. And even if she would, Andre had to protect her. Beck was only going to keep hurting her, even if he didn't mean to.

Andre heard a faint "what?" from Beck as he walked off, leaving his lunch on the table. He quickly walked to Jade's locker to retrieve her phone. Spinning the combination code Jade had given him, he opened her locker and searched for her phone. "What are you doing? Why are you in Jade's locker?" Beck's voice echoed in the empty halls.

"It's none of your business Beck," he said coolly. "Just go back to lunch." He grabbed Jade's phone from the shelf in the very bottom of her locker and took her sweatshirt (her favorite one, she had informed him) off the hook on the side.

"Seriously Andre, what are you doing with Jade's stuff? And what did you mean she's not my girlfriend anymore?" His voice sounded pleading and weak. And as much as in pained Andre to see his best friend so upset, he had to take care of Jade. Everybody knew that apart from Beck, she really didn't have anyone to rely on. Jade needed him now. She was his friend and he wasn't going to let her down. He wasn't going to be added to the long list of people who had disappointed her- her parents, most of the kids at school, and now Beck. Andre didn't want to be and wouldn't be added to that list. Whatever it took.

"Beck," he said sadly. "You lost the right to call Jade your girlfriend the moment you kissed Tori." With that he made his way towards the doors of the school.

"Andre, wait!" Beck grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks. "I'm sorry ok! I'm sorry I hurt her and I'm sorry this ever happened. Why can't you understand I'm sorry? Why can't you get that?" He was almost in hysterics. His eyes were welling up and he was breathing quickly. He was acting so characteristically, so un-Beck.

"I don't doubt that you're sorry, Beck. I just doubt that you'll be able to do anything to fix this. I'm sorry, man."

And before beck could stop him again, he left. Flipping open Jade's phone he scrolled through her contacts until he found the one he was looking for. He pressed send and jogged to his car. It rang four times before a sweet voice answered.

"Hello, Kelsey? Yeah, my name's Andre. I'm a friend of Jade's." Pushing the gas pedal down to the floor he sped off to the hospital, hoping to bring the only true family Jade ad to her.

**Hey Guys!**

**Sorry, I know you guys were probably thinking/hoping that I would update sooner. It turns out my teachers like to assign a bajillion projects over the long weekend. I'm super sorry. I'll try to update soon. However, I have a project to do, an essay to write, packing up my room because I'm moving soon, and play auditions to practice for (please keep your fingers crossed for me! I'm really nervous!), so we'll see. But I'll sure try my best.**

**So in this chapter I think Beck is kind of out of character. But, then again I feel like if he thought he **_**really **_**lost Jade (unlike in the episode **_**Jade Dumps Beck**_**, when I'm pretty sure he knew she'd eventually want him back) he would have at least a little breakdown.**

**Anyway, next chapter will be a good one! We meet Kelsey and maybe, just **_**maybe **_**find out what's wrong with Jade! Haha oh, goodness I'm excited!**

**Please, please, please let me know what you thought of this chapter. I'm not sure it was one of my best, but I'd still love to know what you think. You're reviews really do inspire me to keep writing. Review, please!**

**So, Peace out Girl Scout!**

**Love, Always, **

**May**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five- Better

"Hey Jade, how're ya feeling? Any better?" Andre asked as he entered her hospital room. She looked worse than she had when he left. Her eyes were slightly sunken in and had large dark circles under them.

"Does it look like I'm feeling any better?" she retorted sourly.

"No."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she said dryly. She sunk down deep into the uncomfortable hospital bed. The room smelled like a mixture of rubbing alcohol and plastic, both smells that absolutely revolted her. For hours she had been sitting there, rather staring at the wall or unsuccessfully fighting sleep.

She knew she needed rest. Although the doctors didn't know what was wrong with her yet, it was clear that whatever it was, it was serious. So far, the only real instruction Doctor Morgan could give her was to get a lot of rest. She tried, she really did. But, whenever she closed her eyes all she saw was _him_. All she saw was _her_. All she saw was them. Them, them, them! Them laughing together. Them hugging. Them _kissing_. Sucking face right in front of her. It was like they were permanently tattooed to the back of her eye lids.

So, she fought it.

She fought sleep like she was fighting for her life. _Hell, maybe I am fighting for her life, _she thought. Even though her eyes grew painfully heavy and her mind became foggy, she fought it.

"So, I called your cousin," Andre said, pulling Jade from her thoughts.

"You did?"

"Yeah. She's really worried about you. She said she'd be here as soon as she could. Something about having to find a way to get off work."

Jade rolled her eyes at that. Even thought she hadn't seen her Kelsey in almost a year, they did talk on the phone regularly. Kelsey worked at Dairy Queen. She often told Jade about her supervisor (_Brian?)_, and what a horrible jerk he was. He always made Kelsey work Saturdays and constantly yelled at her for the hot pink streaks in her white blonde hair "not being uniform."

Jade remembered when Kelsey first decided she wanted pink hair. She had been nine and Jade had been seven. They were playing in Jade's basement when Kelsey suddenly pulled a pink sharpie out of her pocket.

"_Come on Jade, please! If I do it myself it'll turn out all wrong. I promise I won't let you get in trouble," Kelsey insisted._

"_I'm not sure Kelse, won't you get yelled at though?"_

_After constant begging for twenty minutes, Jade finally gave in and carefully drew the hot pink striped in her cousin's bangs, sticking her tongue out with effort. _

_When they emerged from the basement hours later, Jade's Aunt Mel screamed and dropped the plate she'd been holding. "Kelsey! What did you do to your hair?"_

"_Are you mad, mommy? Don't you like it? Jade told me not to do it, but I really wanted to. I told you I wanted pink hair."_

_Even back then Jade knew she would always be able to count on her cousin._

"Typical Kelse. Her boss is crazy, in case she didn't mention that to you when you talked to her," Jade finally replied.

"Yeah, she seemed pretty rushed. I think it's safe to say she might not be here for a while," Andre said.

"No, you don't know my cousin. She'll be here soon. Anyway, thanks for calling her, Dre. You didn't have to, I could have done it. But, it means a lot, so thanks." Jade avoided his eyes. Even though they were friends now, she still found herself wondering why he was being so nice to her. She'd done so many terrible things to him for years. What did she do to deserve his friendship?

"Did you just call me Dre?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" she was confused. What was he talking about?

"You just called me 'Dre.' What's gotten into you? Are you feeling alright?" he teased with a smirk. He playfully pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. She swatted his hand away with a laugh. _Was that the first time she'd laughed in almost two days?_

"Shut up. It just slipped out. You're not cool enough for a nickname," she retorted with a smile.

"Oh please, Jade. You and I both know I'm more than cool enough for a snazzy nickname. Now that question is what's yours? If I have one, you need one too."

"You can't really shorten my name anymore dude. It's only one syllable."

"I know!" he said, snapping his fingers. "Jay. I'll call you Jay. Very snazzy and totally awesome."

"Really?" Jade snorted. "Jay. Jade. You can hardly tell the difference. What's the point?"

"Hey, no mocking the name, Jay. If I have one, you've got one too, whether you like it or not," he snapped back at her in mock severity.

She laughed for real then, leaning forward and clutching her stomach, eyes squeezed closed. A full blown belly laugh, and soon Andre joined in with her. They laughed until their eyes watered and Jade felt like she was going to pass out from exhaustion.

Once they calmed down she slumped back against her pillow. Her eyes fluttered closed and a small smile graced her lips.

"Thanks Dre," she mumbled just as she drifted off into a quiet sleep. Andre was he friend, he made her feel…better.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

She didn't wake up in a cold sweat, or heaving for breath, or screaming Beck's name. She woke up to soft piano notes. They filled the air around her, surrounding her with a peaceful joy. She lay there for a few minutes just listening to the notes going on and on and on. Soon, the notes were accompanied with quiet humming.

She snapped her eyes open to see Andre with his keyboard lying in his lap, his fingers gracefully stroking the keys. It hadn't even occurred to her that it had been him playing. She thought the music was in her head, all in her head.

It struck her then how incredibly talented her friend was. He could play almost every instrument perfectly. And he could sing. She thought of how lucky she was to have a friend like him. One that cared for her, even if she didn't know why.

She let out a content sigh as she listened to him play. It really was peaceful. At the sound of her sigh Andre's playing ceased and his eyes snapped up towards her.

"Sorry," he said. "You've been out for a while and I already finished my homework so I thought…sorry," he repeated, scratching the back of his head.

"No, don't be. It was pretty. I liked it. Play more?" she asked hopefully.

_Was it his imagination or was Jade acting less and less like her normal self? Maybe being sick was getting to her head._

"No, you should be resting. I'm just distracting you. You need quiet."

"Dre," Jade said with an eyebrow raised. "Music is my life. It can't be a distraction to me."

"Speaking of music," Andre said, remembering her binder in his backpack. "I believe this belongs to you." He pulled out her bright green music binder and handed it to her. At first she smiled widely, but then it faded quickly, replaced by a deep frown. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Her eyes began to well up as she stared down at the cover of her binder.

"_There's only us, there's only this._

_Forget regret or life is yours to miss._

_No other road, no other way._

_No day but today."_

_I love you, Jade_

"Nothing, nothing," she replied almost too fast. "DO you have a sharpie?" He pulled one out and handed it to her, watch as she scribbled furiously on the cover of her binder. He didn't ask questions.

"Thanks," she said, handing the marker back to him.

"No problem," he replied skeptically.

They sat in an awkward silence for a while. Neither of them really knew what to say. Minutes passed in silence, the only sounds were those of Jade's heart monitor beeping, her IV dripping, and footsteps in the hallway.

"So what was that song you were playing before?" she asked finally. "Another Andre Harris original?" she was smiling a small smile now.

"Yeah, it is," he answered quietly. "I've been working on it for a while. I just can't seem to get it right. I'm just not sure."

"Well, play it," Jade prodded. "Come on Dre, let's hear it."

"Well, I…" he trailed off. "Ok, I guess." Jade couldn't remember a time when Andre had ever been so unconfident. It worried her slightly.

Soon, his fingers began pressing the keys again, making a beautiful melody. Then, he started singing.

"_It all started out so innocently  
You were just another pretty face that I loved to see  
But somewhere down the line  
I got this feeling deep inside, that won't stop talking to me  
Yea, won't stop talking to me_

But lately I started to dream  
About you and me  
And how it would be to hold you close to me  
Like it's supposed-"

He stopped when he saw a look of confusion pass over Jade's face, followed by a look of recognition.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"It's for Tori, isn't it? You wrote that song for Tori." She didn't miss a beat answering him.

He looked away from her, embarrassed. "Yeah," he replied. _Friends don't keep secret Andre, _the voice in his head said. _Jade's your friend. You can tell her. She gets it._ "Yeah, it is. I really like her Jade. I can't help it. I know she doesn't like me, obviously. She's so into Beck she doesn't even notice me half the time. Seriously, have you seen her and Beck lately, all lovey dov-" he broke off, horrified. "Oh, God. Jade, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up…"

He stopped when she took his hand and looked at him. Tears were in her eyes but her voice was strong when she spoke. "No. It's ok. I know how you feel. And don't worry, we don't need them anyway." He nodded at her and squeezed her hand tighter. "Now," she said moments later, "let's not let them ruin a perfectly good song. Let's hear it."

She smiled at him and he smiled back. The notes started up again.

"_But lately I started to dream…"  
_

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

A few hours later the lights were off in her hospital room, but it was not quiet. It was filled with laughter.

Jade lay on her bed with Andre on the chair next to it. On the television was an old black and white horror film. It was that time of year. The month of October was always jam packed with scary movies to watch on the TV. Jade and Andre only had to take their pick.

The movie was practically ancient, not even scary. It was just hilarious. They watch as the woman on screen ran hysterically around her house, being followed by a very fake and plastic floating skull.

Andre's loud laughs and Jade's much quieter, exhausted ones echoed off the walls. This was their second "scary movie" of the night and it was only seven o'clock.

They say and watch for another half hour or so before furious yells were heard from down the hallway. "No, no! I don't care! This is my baby cousin and she needs me!" Jade rolled her eyes here. Andre thought he heard a quiet _oh gosh_ from under her breath. "I don't care, Byron!" (_Oh, that's his name_, Jade thought.) "Fine, you know what, fine! I don't care, fire me! I hated that damn job anyway!"

They yelling had progressively gotten louder until it was coming from right outside Jade's door. Andre was shocked to see that so much noise had been coming from such a small girl. Kelsey was short, probably about Cat's height and as skinny as Tori. Her hair was white blonde and had bright pink stripes in it. Her eyes were also a striking blue. She wasn't at all how Andre had pictured her when he had talked to her on the phone…

"Oh gosh, babe. You look bloody terrible," she said, leaning up against the doorpost. The anger in her voice was now replaced with obvious concern. "Are you dying? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Doctor Morgan suddenly appeared from behind Kelsey and said, "I think I can finally answer that."

**Hey guys.**

**I know, I know. I'm a terrible person. I got you all excited about this chapter and then didn't update for like a month. I'm sooo sorry. I deserve to get shot. :(**

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I watch an episode of the show last night and was suddenly inspired to finish this chapter up so I hope that the fact that it's a little longer than normal makes up for my lack of updates. I'm doing this instead of my huge New Testament Project, if that makes it better at all…**

**Ok so I'm gunna stop rambling now.**

**The lyrics on Jade's binder are from the song **_**No Day but Today **_**from **_**Rent,**_** the best musical ever. Andre's song is actually by Leon Thomas III (the guy who plays Andre) it's called **_**Dream,**_** and he sang in when he was on an episode of **_**iCarly.**_** And the character Kelsey was inspired by my friend Kristi (I love you, girl!)**

**I would also like to clarify that this is not a Jade/Andre romance fic. I'm sorry if you get that impression. I'm trying to show that they are really starting to trust each other and get to be really close friends. So, I'm sorry if you're looking for a Jade/Andre romance fic, but this isn't one. **

**So…any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to send me a private message or, more preferably, WRITE ME A REVIEW! REVIEWS ARE MY FAVORITE AND THE FIRST ONE TO LEAVE ME ONE GETS FREE VIRTUAL COOKIES AND A FREE VIRTUAL HUG!**

**Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.**

**Oh, and I don't own **_**VicTORIous, sadly.**_

_**Anywho, toodle-oo.**_

_**Love, always,**_

_**May**_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six- Giving Up

_"Oh gosh, babe. You look bloody terrible," she said, leaning up against the doorpost. The anger in her voice was now replaced with obvious concern. "Are you dying? What the hell is wrong with you?"_

_Doctor Morgan suddenly appeared from behind Kelsey and said, "I think I can finally answer that."_

For one tiny, measly second Jade's hope were up. Then she saw Doctor Morgan's face. Doubt clouded her mind instantly. _What if I never get out of the hospital? What if I'm stuck here forever? _And, along with the doubt, came the fear. _What if I really am dying? _Her mind became foggy as thoughts she begged herself not to think and questions she had tried to force back came flooding in. All of her senses faded. Her eyesight got foggy, her hearing went away, her voice was stuck in her throat, her mouth went dry, and her world faded away.

In the distance, Kelsey's shoes tapped against the floor, the papers in Doctor Morgan's file rustled, her heart monitor beeped, and the lights on her machines flashed. It was only the doctor's soft, sorrowful voice and Andre taking her hand that pulled her out of her misty mind.

"Jade, I'm afraid you have Cancer. Leukemia, to be exact. And, on top of that, you have a severe heart problem. You have an irregular heartbeat."

Kelsey's gasped, tears flooding her eyes. Andre looked away. His gaze fell to the floor.

Jade said nothing. All she could do was stare at the doctor. _Maybe he's kidding. Maybe this is some sort of sick, twisted joke. Maybe, maybe, maybe…_

After a few unbearable minutes of silence Doctor Morgan finally spoke up. I know this is a shock to you Jade. To all of you, really, but I don't want you to think that there's no hope here. People fight this, Jade. And, from what I've seen of you, you are most definitely a fighter. Now, do any of you have any questions?"

"Yeah, I have a question, _Doc_" Kelsey piped in. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, unfortunately because of Jade's heart problems, chemotherapy is very dangerous to treat her cancer. Chemo can sometimes have extremely dangerous and lasting effects on the heart, so it would be, in my opinion, very unwise to choose that route."

"Well what else can we do?" Andre said angrily. His chair scraped against the floor and fell over as he stood up. "How else do you treat cancer? And what about her heart problem? How're you going to fix that?"

"Well, as far as her heart, it beats way too slow. A normal heart beats anywhere from fifty to one hundred beats a minute. Anything outside of that is considered arrhythmia. Yours, Jade, beats thirty-six. So, for that we can just start you out on some medications-"

"Can we please talk about this later?" Jade's voice shook as she spoke. Her voice was quiet and weak. She sounded defeated. She didn't sound like Jade.

"Sure, just have one of the nurses call me when you're ready." With that, Doctor Morgan turned and left the room.

Andre picked up his chair and sat back down. Her ran a hand through his hair and rubbed at his eyes. Kelsey took the seat on the other side of Jade's bed and sat down, wiping the tears away from her cheeks.

Jade stared at her blanket. She picked at loose threads and ran her fingers over the slightly itchy fabric. She said nothing.

Andre and Kelsey caught each other's eye from across the bed. They each took one of Jade's hands in comfort.

"Jade," Kelsey said, her voice strangled with tears. "Jadey-Bear." This time she whispered. "Jade don't give up. I know you. I _know _you, Jade. And this, this weak, crying, quiet girl is not the Jade I know. Now granted, I've been away for a while, but when you were six we made each other a promise to never, ever change who we were. Right now, you're breaking that promise. I don't care that you're sick. The Jade I know would never give up. She would never sit around and cry for herself. The Jade I know doesn't just take a slap to the face and break down because it hurts. The Jade I know fights. She fights for what she deserves. And this, you don't deserve this. So fight it. _Please._ Fight it, Jade."

"Jade, Kelsey's right. I've known you sense fifth grade, and I have never _once _seen you take a hit without getting back up. You always fight back, and you know why? Because, you're a _fighter. _Kelsey said it, Doctor Morgan said it, and now I'm saying it. Jade West, you are a fighter. You've never given up before, and I'll be damned if I see you start now."

"What if I don't have any fight left in me?"

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

"Alright, she's asleep," Kelsey said wearily as she left Jade's room.

"Good," came Andre's reply. "She needs all the rest she can get."

"Yeah, she does. Gosh, I just can't believe this. I just can't believe she has cancer. Did she tell you she doesn't care? She said she's done. She wants to give up." Her eyes started to fill with tears again. "I just don't understand," she finally whispered.

Andre rubbed his temples, trying to get past his disbelief and the oncoming migraine that was building up.

"Gosh, what happened to her?" Kelsey went on.

"I'm guessing she hasn't told you then?" He went on when a thoroughly confused look crossed over her face. "You know Beck, right?"

"Jade's boyfriend? Yeah, sweet kid," she replied with a small smile.

"Ex-boyfriend, and no, not a sweet kid. Not anymore. Jade caught Beck making out with our friend Tori. She's new this year, a transfer student. We all kind of saw this coming. It's been really obvious that Tori was into Beck. Plus, we'd sometimes catch Beck staring at Tori, just randomly. We all sort of saw the signs but we just ignored it, hoping it would pass. Anyway, Jade caught Beck and Tori kissing and just lost it. I chased after her all the way out of the school parking lot and down the street before she collapsed on the sidewalk. I brought her to the hospital and that's pretty much it."

"Oh my gosh," Kelsey sighed, covering her mouth and shaking her head. "Beck was her whole life. He was all she ever talked about. How could this happen? And so now she just wants to give up because she doesn't have Beck anymore?"

"I guess. But what can we do?"

"Well, we'll just have to get them back together. Show Jade that Beck really does love her."

"No!" Andre was nearly outraged at the idea. "She's too good for him. He hurt her. Jade's my friend and she's already hurt. She doesn't need him to come back to pour salt in the wound. No, what we need to do is help her get over him."

"You're right. But what are we going to do? Jade's stubborn," Kelsey sighed.

"I never said it was going to be easy. None of this is going to be easy."

**WOOOHOOO SNOWDAY! Haha ok so this is my second snow day in a row. The first was spent unpacking seeing as I just moving into my new house. And now, I FINALLY have the time to update. I just want you all to know how immensely sorry I am for not writing/posting this sooner. I'm really, really sorry. **

**Anyway, thank you sooo much for being sooo patient! Also, thank you for reviewing/favoriting this story. You guys are amazing. So let me know what you think of this chapter. I know it's a little shorter than the last and I'm not completely confident with it, but I hope you like it anyway. Also, I just wanted to inform you all that each chapter is inspired by a song, so at the end of the story I will post a list of all the songs for you guys.**

**Thanks so much again for being such amazing readers!**

**Review!**

**Love, always,**

**May**

**P.S. – Congrats to iisarahh for getting Jade's diagnosis right! I would love to right a one-shot for you in honor of your 1) fantastic review (haha yeah, I know the doctor's kind of an idiot. He's supposed to be that way) and 2) getting her illness right. Let me know if you're interested in your own one-shot. I'd be happy to write one in honor of you!**


	7. Chapter 7

Friends for the Fight

Chapter Seven – Promise

Andre was half-asleep. Jade woke up not long after she had fallen asleep. He and Kelsey had sat by her bedside for half the night, trying to convince her that giving up was not the answer.

_ She woke up gasping and covered in sweat. _

_ "Hey, hey it's okay. You're okay. What's wrong Jay?" Andre spoke softly to her. Taking her hand while Kelsey held the other._

_ "Nothing, just a bad dream. I'm fine." She was lying. It had been a bad dream, but she wasn't fine. _

_ "You sure don't sound fine or look fine Jade. What was the dream about?" Kelsey's voice cracked. Either from how tired she was or because her throat was sore from crying. _

_ "I was dead. I was dead and you guys didn't have a funeral for me because you'd be the only ones there. You didn't burry me either. I was just left there to rot." There were tears streaming down her face, as well as Kelsey's._

_ "Jade, baby, you know we'd never let that happen to you."_

_ "Yeah, besides dude," Andre chimed in, "you're not going to die anyway. You're going to fight this and I know you'll win. You know why? Because the Jade West I know doesn't go down without a fight. And, she never loses a fight." He squeezed her hand lightly as he spoke._

_ "The only problem Andre is that I'm not the Jade West you know anymore. I'm weak and pathetic and I'm going to die. I don't want to fight this."_

_Several hours later they were still at it._

"_What's the point?" Jade asked dryly._

_At that Kelsey ripped her hand from her cousin's and stood up, knocking her chair over in the process. Her voice was low and coarse. "No you listen to me right now Jade. You are my only cousin and I love you. I don't know what your problem is and I'll be damned if I'll let you throw your life away because some asshole broke your heart. You think that's not fair? Well guess what honey, life's not fair. If it was you wouldn't be in this Goddamned hospital with cancer and a heart problem. You're the only person I have in this world anymore and I don't care what kind of sick and twisted thoughts are going through your head to make you think that giving up is a good idea, but all I know is that if you give up I might as well step in front of a bus because without you I've got nothing." She wiped at her tears furiously. "Now I might just be making this all about me right now but if that's what it takes to get you to_ try_ then I'll do it all the time. I'm not losing you Jade, and neither is Andre. Now _God damn it_ you promise me right now that you're going to try!"_

_ Jade stared up at her cousin in shock. Guilt flooded through her and her words came out in a whisper. "I promise. I'll try."_

Now his head was down on his desk as he slept during calculus. The bell rang and he jolted awake, nearly falling out of his chair. He groggily got up and headed outside for lunch. As soon as he sat down at the lunch table his phone started ringing. He answered it without looking at the caller id, and before he could get a greeting out there was a voice in his ear. "I'm bored."

He smirked and rolled his eyes at her bluntness. "Well I'm sorry to hear that, not what exactly do you want me to do about it?"

"Come back." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "There's nothing on TV, I've watched every movie you've brought me at least twice, and I've read all my books. There's nothing to entertain me."

"Well, Jay, I can't just leave. I'm at school and I have a big test last hour." He didn't notice all of his friends now staring at him after he'd said her name.

"Well, it's really, really boring here. I don't know, but if I'm going to try to get better I'm going to need some sort of entertainment." His expression turned dark at that.

"I'll be there soon." Obviously she was satisfied with that answer, because she hung up right away.

He looked up into the eyes of all his friends, realizing his mistake. He immediately looked down as if he found his food extremely enthralling.

"Was that Jade? Where is she?" Beck had been badgering him with questions ever since the day Jade had left.

"What? Oh, no man, it was somebody else." He got up to throw his food away and leave for the hospital.

"Come on man! That's a lie, where is she?"

Andre ignored him and walked away.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

Andre sat in the chair next to Jade, using her bed as a desk while he did his advanced chemistry homework. "No, no, no dude, you're doing it wrong. That equation is double reaction, not decomposition. Do it like this." She snatched the pencil away from him and wrote all over his homework, making corrections. Normally he'd be upset, but he actually did need help in this class.

Kelsey had long since gone out to find them some real food to eat. Jade had been complaining about the hospital food all day. Kelsey had finally snapped and left to go buy them some burgers.

The two of them worked on his homework for another ten minutes before they heard a very familiar voice in the hall way. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" It was followed by a series of even more familiar giggles.

Jade looked at Andre with a panicked expression. Without a word he ran out of the room to come face-to-face with Cat.

"Hey, Little Red, what are you doing here?"

"Andre!" She ran up and hugged him fiercely. "Hi! Oh my gosh okay so today my brother decided it would be a good idea to give his cat a haircut, but Artemis, his kitty went crazy and bit him! Then he ended up stabbing himself in the hand! The scissors went all the way through! He's downstairs in the ER but I thought it would be a good idea to bring the kitty just in case he got hurt too, but now I can't find him! Have you seen him?"

Andre couldn't help but laugh at his friend. "No, sorry, I haven't."

"Oh, well that's okay, I'm sure he's around. Hey! What are you doing here anyway? Are you visiting someone?"

"Yeah, I am but- No! Cat, don't go in there!" he scrambled after her as she made her way into Jade's room.

"Its fine Andre, I just want to say hi- Jade! Oh my gosh!" Cat stood in Jade's doorway, mouth open, looking like she might cry. Her eyes raked over all of the tubes and machines Jade was hooked up to. Tears were now leaking out of her eyes.

"Cat, I think maybe it'd be best if you left," Andre suggested lightly.

"No it's okay, she should know." Jade said, beckoning for Cat to come and sit on the bed. the redhead made her way over and took her friends hand. "Well, you know how before, when I was at school I was getting really thin and always sleeping, I had circles under my eyes and things like that?" Cat nodded and Jade continued. "Well, it turns out that I have leukemia, and a heart problem to go along with it."

Cat cried harder and harder. After some time of Jade rubbing her back and hugging her she was finally able to talk, tears still streaming down her face. "W-why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell _me?_" Jade was crying again now too.

"I don't want Beck to know. I don't want any of the others to know, okay Cat? Please, you can come visit me any time you want, but promise me you won't tell anyone I'm sick."

With one final hug she whispered "I promise."

**Sorry for the delay! I don't know what to say, life's busy. **

**Haha okay so this chapter is a little bit longer. I hope that makes up for the long wait! I'm trying to update all of my stories tonight and it's proving to be a challenge, but I'm determined. I'm on mid-winter break so hopefully I'll be able to get out a few chapters over the next week.**

**So, how was it? Please review and let me know!**

**Love, always,**

**May**


	8. Chapter 8

Friends for the Fight

Chapter Eight – Out

Beck frowned at the sight of Andre wrapping his arms comfortingly around a crying Cat. She pushed her face into his neck as her shoulders shook with sobs. _What happened to her? Is she okay?_

Beck's eyebrows furrowed as he realized just how much time he spent worrying about the girls in his life. Was his mom working too much? Why is Cat crying? Did Tori get the part, or did she lose it to someone else? Where did his girlfriend _(ex-girlfriend?) _disappear to?

His chest constricted at the last thought. Where _was _Jade? He'd give anything to know. And he couldn't help it that he was always concerned about his friends. He was just a sensitive guy like that. _Yeah, so sensitive that you made out with a girl your girlfriend hates, and broke said girlfriend's heart causing he to leave and never speak to you again. Real sensitive. _

"Hey," Beck was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Tori's voice. "What's wrong with Cat?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "But, she's really upset."

"Hey, Cat!" Tori called across the hallway. Cat's ruby head popped up and turned in their direction. Her eyes widened considerably and Andre leaned down to whisper in her ear. Beck's eyes narrowed in both confusion and suspicion as the pair made their way over towards the crying girl. As they neared Cat broke away from Andre and flung herself into Beck's arms. He stood momentarily stunned before wrapping his arms around her in return.

"Cat, come on, what's wrong? What happened?" Beck said gently while patting her back.

"I-I can't do it! _She _can't do it! I'm so scared, Beck! I-It's so awful. How could this have happened?" The redhead squeaked.

"What are you talking about, Cat? _Who_ can't do what?" Tori asked, confused.

Cat let out an enormous sob, saying "I-It's Ja-"

"-Just that she's so worried about her brother," Andre cut her off. "He accidently stabbed himself in the hand yesterday and Cat's really upset. Right, Cat?" Andre eyed her warningly.

"Yeah," she hiccupped, her eyes downcast. "He says it hurts really badly."

Beck eyes Andre suspiciously before sighing. "It's going to be alright, Cat. I promise."

She sighed. "I hope so."

Cat let go of Beck and embraced Andre again as they walked away. As they disappeared through the crowd of their classmates, something clicked in Beck's mind.

"Hey, didn't she say 'she'?"

"What are you talking about, Beck?" Tori asked, puzzled.

"Cat, she said 'she can't do it'. But Andre said she was talking about her brother."

"Well," she replied, "You must have misheard her."

"Yeah," he mumbled. "I guess."

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

"Hey, Cat!" Beck called as he caught up to the redhead after sixth period. "What's going on?"

"Oh, hey Beck," she mumbled. He didn't miss the way she wouldn't look at him. "What do you mean?"

"Earlier, when you were crying. You're not really worried for your brother, are you? It was something else," he pushed.

"What?" Her face snapped up to look at him in shock. "No, I am, I am worried for him!" After all it wasn't really a lie. "He's in a lot of pain!"

"Okay, okay but what else was it? It's Jade, isn't it?" Cat suddenly became very interested in her shoes. "Cat, come on. Tell me, please!"

"I can't," she whispered. Tears now silently streamed down her face and Beck knew something was terribly wrong. "Andre told me not to, and Jade doesn't want you to know. I'm sorry, Beck," she said, turning to leave.

Beck caught her arm. "What, Cat please, _please _tell me. It she hurt? Is she even okay? Please, Cat! Is this about what I did with Tori? I told you, I told _her, _everyone, that what I did was a mistake. I couldn't be sorrier for it. You know that! Please! I love Jade! I always have and I always will. Nothing I do or she does or any situation that we come across can change that! Now, it there's something wrong, please! I have to know."

Cat was sobbing again, and Beck realized, surprised, that large tears were streaming from his own eyes as well.

"S-she's in the hospital," Cat cried out. "She's really sick."

But Beck was already gone, out the door and on his way to the hospital.

"Oh, no! Andre! I told him! We have to go!" she yelled as she spotted her friend on the steps. He knew exactly what she meant without having to ask. Without a word the two were sprinting towards the car.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

Jade awoke from her fitful sleep to the sound of shouting. Kelsey was no longer at her bedside, and Jade caught a glimpse of her blond and pink streaked hair flying wildly as she gestured violently with her hands outside the door. Utterly confused, Jade listened carefully. Although she could not see the person Kelsey was speaking to, she would recognize the other voice anywhere.

Beck.

Jade's heart monitor started beeping faster as her heart accelerated. _Why is he here? How the hell did he find out? _

"No, Beck!" she heard Kelsey yell. "She doesn't want to see you! Why do you think no one told you about this! You don't deserve her. You broke her heart and now you don't just get to show up here pretending like you care. Just leave, just go!"

"_What! _ How could you even say that I don't care about Jade! I love her! Why would you think that I don't care about her?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because she caught you making out with some slut!" Kelsey screamed back.

"Excuse me," Doctor Morgan interrupted. "You both need to keep your voices down! This is a hospital, not MTV!" he shouted. Beck seized the moment when Kelsey was distracted by the doctor to maneuver around her and into Jade's room. He stopped short when he spotted her.

She looked like a mess. Her long hair was loosely braided and pulled to the side, but Beck could see how knotted it was. There were almost pitch black circles under her eyes, and her face was even more pale than usual. She looked as if she had lost weight, a lot of weight. And, her lips were chapped and her arms were deeply bruised from her IV.

"Jade-"

"What are you doing here?" she cut him off as Kelsey tried to drag him out of the room. He just shook her off. "I don't want you here. How did you find out? _Why _are you even here?"

"Jade what's going on? Why am I here, why are _you _here? What's wrong with you?"

Just then, Andre and Cat burst through the door. While Cat and Kelsey attempted to pull him out of the room, Andre went straight to his friend and grabbed her in a fierce hug. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried.

"Beck, you need to leave now. You shouldn't be here!" Cat urged as he tried to take a step towards Jade's hospital bed. "Now's not a good time."

"Cat, let go of me! I just want to see her! What is even going _on_?"

"Beck-"

"Just get _**out!**_" Jade yelled, sobbing into Andre's shoulder. Her heart monitor beeped wildly and Cat and Kelsey pushed Beck out of the room as a flurry of doctors and nurses rushed in.

"Jade! _Jade!_" he yelled. But, all she did was continue to sob as Andre moved her into a laying position and the doctors rushed around them.

It remained like this until she lost consciousness.

**Hey, guys! Sorry for such a long delay. I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go with this, but, now I am. **

**I would like to address a couple of things though. 1) Someone commented that Beck is a little ooc. This is true. And, I would also like to say that I don't take it personally. So, don't worry. The reason Beck is so ooc is because he a) feels guilty about what he did with Tori and b) is so upset because he has no idea where his girlfriend went and what's happened to her. That can cause a guy a lot of stress, and there for personality changes. 2) I think a couple of mentioned that I needed to have beck find out about Jade soon. This is also true. When I got those reviews, I wasn't planning on postponing the inevitable that much long, I just had to figure out a way to do it. I didn't want him to find out the same way Cat did but, that was all I could think of. Then, I got those reviews, and I thought about it, and BAM! Now it's done. Those reviews are part of the reason the story took this turn. So, thank you. 3) Another couple of reviewers were wondering about the ships in this story. Andre/Jade is purely friendship, as is Andre/Cat. Now, I am a huge Jade/Beck fan, so, even though it seems like it, there is no **_**real, legit **_**Beck/Tori. Eventually, Jade and Beck might make up, but I'm not sure.**

**Ok, so again, I'm SOOOOO sorry for the delay, but summer is here in just FOUR exam days and then I'll try and update a lot. **

**Long AN over.**

**Peace out, Girl Scout!**

**Love, always,**

** May**


	9. Chapter 9

Friends for the Fight

Chapter Nine – Not Ready

Jade's sleepy eyes fluttered open to see the same room she'd been stuck in for weeks. There was a painful ache in the center of her chest and it hurt a bit when she inhaled. Trying to move as little as possible, she reached over to the television remote to press the call button. The older, maternal looking nurse named Maria that occasionally took care of Jade rushed in at once. Her frazzled red, though greying, curls bounced around her head and a bright smile lit her face. "Good evening, dear. How are you feeling today? Gave us a bit of a scare there yesterday."

"I feel alright. My chest hurts a lot," Jade replied, her voice groggy from sleep and illness.

"That'd be from the chest compressions. You heart went out for a moment there. But don't worry, you'll be just fine. The soreness will go away soon," Maria soothed.

"How long have I been out?"

"Just a little more than a day, dear. About thirty hours. It's just before six now." Marie answered in her sweet Scottish accent as she checked Jade's vitals.

"What happened before that?" Jade asked quizzically.

"You don't remember, dear?"

"It's all a bit fuzzy." Her brow furrowed in concentration, trying to remember what had happened. "I remember yelling. My friends were here."

"Yes, and that boy. Ben?"

"Beck?" Beck was here? She didn't really remember that. Kelsey yelling, Andre hugging her, Cat crying, that she remembered. But Beck? No, she didn't remember him being there. "Is he still here?"

"No, honey. Your friend Andre asked him to leave." Her heart sunk just a little.

Sure, she was still hurt. Her chest still ached at the thought of him, and not from the chest compressions. One doesn't exactly date someone for three years, find out they're cheating, and get over it quickly; especially not her. Jade was particularly good at holding grudges. But still, there was also a part of her that, when she thought of him, also thought of all of the good memories too: The first (first of many) time he asked her on a date, when he asked her to be his girlfriend, their first kiss, their first time, and all of the other sweet, romantic times they'd had together. All of the kinds of things the old Jade would never be caught dead thinking about. But, she was still a girl. She still wanted to love and be loved. Beck was the only one who had ever loved her. What was she going to do without him? She had no idea. For years he was the only one that truly cared about her, cared _for_ her. Even her friends kind of passed off her misgivings as nothing. _No! Not anymore_, she thought. Now she had real friends. Cat, Andre, and Kelsey were her real friends and they weren't ever going to let anything bad happen to her. They loved her. _But Beck loved me once_. How was she supposed to just let go of someone who she had loved and who had loved her for years? She had no answer. And, just then Jade realized why. She didn't want to let Beck go. The only constant in her life suddenly ripped away completely because of one stupid mistake? No, she didn't think so. She didn't want him gone. Even if he didn't love her anymore, she still loved him.

She loved him, she just didn't trust him.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

To say that Andre had been surprised when Jade asked him to call Beck, would be a massive understatement. He was absolutely floored.

Jade had gone back and forth for weeks between cursing Beck and claiming to hate him, to sobbing over losing him and claiming to hate him; still, mostly the former. There had been no positive feelings whatsoever for the Oliver boy in Jade's quiet, cramped hospital room. And Andre, for the most part, was proud of her. As far as he could tell, she had no plans of getting back together with Beck. She wasn't caving. She was being strong and fierce, like the Jade he had known before. Sure, there had been some crying but, Jade, at least Andre hoped, had seen the errors of Beck's ways and was planning to stick to her guns.

So, when she had called him into her room shortly after waking up, yeah, he'd been just a little floored when asked to ring up the girl's (ex)boyfriend. Words such as 'crazy' and 'insane' had been thrown around before Jade had firmly, in the most pre-cancer-Jade-like voice she could muster, demanded that Beck be called. She simply needed to talk to him.

With a huff, Andre had made his way out into the hall, plopped down in the chair next to Cat, and called Beck.

The call had been brief, to say the least. A total of five words, actually. "She wants to see you." He had then proceeded to promptly end the call with a distinct growl.

"How is she?" the petit red-head next to him questioned.

"Crazy," was his simple answer.

"Aren't we all? Just a little bit, at least, I think." Andre sighed. Sometimes he forgot just how caring and, dare he say it, deep, Cat could be. Everybody passed her off as just another ditzy girl when, in reality, Cat understood them all better than perhaps even they understood themselves.

"That's not what I meant," Andre sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "She wants to see Beck. She wants to talk to him."

"I know. I heard your phone call. But that's not what I asked."

"Why would she want to see him, Cat? What could she possible need to talk to him about after everything he's done to her?"

"Sometimes we forget that, besides Beck, Jade doesn't really have anyone," Cat sighed, looking forlorn.

"She has us," he argued back.

"Now she does. But, before she got sick, none of us really paid her any attention. I've been her friend for years and, I hate to say it but, once Tori came around, we all just kind of forgot about Jade. I'm not saying that Tori's to blame at all. It's our fault. She's been all of ours friend for a long time and we got distracted by the idea of a new friend that Jade just kind of got left in the dust. For years, Back has been her only real constant. Her parents leave all of the time, she hardly sees her family, and we've all been too distracted to even notice that Jade was sick. Beck, despite their hard times, has pretty much always been there. And, even though Jade is hurting, it can't be easy to give up on the only person that's really ever loved you."

If the situation hadn't have been so somber, Andre was pretty sure he'd be picking his jaw up off of the ground right about now. (When had Cat basically become a shrink?) But, Jade was still sick, Beck was still coming, and the universe still seemed to be collapsing around them all. So, instead, he just said, "I never thought of it that way."

Cat tucked a strand of bright red hair behind her ear "I know it's scary and I know you don't want Jade to get hurt again. I don't either but," she took a deep breath as if to force the words to come. "For now, I think that it's best if we just let her talk to him. If anything she needs closure."

Andre looked up from his hands, where his gaze had stubbornly remained throughout the extent of the conversation. He smiled at the usually loud, wild, playful girl next to him and gave her a comforting smile. "I think you're right."

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

When Beck entered Jade's hospital room for only the second time (two times to many, in his opinion), the state of the girl in front of him wiped all traces of anger towards his good friend (perhaps not so good anymore) from his mind. Andre's less than subtle message of "You've got five minutes. Say or do anything to upset her and I'll kick your ass, got it?" had been thoroughly received. That didn't mean that the threat hadn't pissed him off. But, one look at Jade, lying back on her half-reclined bed, hair braided away from her face, bags under her eyes, and multiple wires, IVs, etc., sticking out of her arms, and his mind went blank of all things that weren't her. He took a seat in the chair beside her bed. "Hey, babe. How're you feeling?"

"You don't get to call me that anymore." Her voice was rough and tired-sounding but not unkind. She mostly sounded exhausted.

"Sorry," he mumbled, instantly in far poorer spirits.

"It's fine. Just, let's gets a few things straight, okay?" Beck nodded but Jade refused to meet his gaze. "I'm not your girlfriend anymore. That's not to say that I don't want to be but, I just can't do this," she gestured between them, "anymore. You've made a lot of mistake, Beck. And, I'm not saying that I haven't made some. Lord knows that I've made plenty but, I've never broken your heart. You've broken mine too many time and I-" she cut off to take a shuttering breath, attempting to keep her emotions in check. "I don't trust you anymore." The break in her voice when she said 'trust' didn't go unnoticed by either of them. "I can't keep letting you use my heart for target practice. Not anymore. I won't do it."

"Jade, I-" he didn't know what to say. So, he said what any person would say in his situation. "I'm so sorry, Jade."

"I know. I'm sorry too, Beck. And, the sad part is that I love you." The tears were brimming in her eyes but she'd be damned if she let them fall. "God, I love you so much but I have to start loving myself too. I'm not going to get any better and get out of this hospital, let alone this Godforsaken town if I don't stop moaning and groaning over my wreck of a love life and start taking care of myself. So, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to start taking care of myself and I would love if you would be my friend and help me fight this. But, that's all we're going to be: friends. Nothing more. And one day, when you earn my trust back, maybe then it'll all be okay again. Is that okay with you?"

And, while Jade was doing an exceptional job of not letting her tears fall, Beck wasn't doing so hot of a job. His eyes were red-rimmed and tear-clouded. "That sounds good." He took her hand and wrapped it in two of his own. "That sounds just fine. Friends." The smile that he gave her next really did it though. It was all so ridiculous: the way he could have tears dripping down his face and his smile could still be the most beautiful thing in the world to her, the fact that, although they had just officially 'broken up,' she still somehow felt just a little bit better, and just the whole conversation in general, Jade couldn't help but let a shaky laugh escape her.

"Friends."

The moment was almost surreal. Finally, the pair of them was somehow, somewhat at peace. So, if didn't surprise Beck when Andre poked his head in the door. "Time's up, dude. Get out of here." The words spoken weren't altogether unpleasant but, Beck still could feel Andre's unease with him being alone in a room with Jade.

"Dre, it's alright. He can stay," Jade's whispery voice came from next to him.

Andre just gave her a worried look. "Jay." It was obvious that he wanted Beck to leave.

"It's fine," Jade soothed. "I promise. We're good." She shot Beck a tiny smile before swinging it over to Andre. "Why don't you go home? Make Cat go home too. You both need rest. And tell Kelsey that I'm okay and she doesn't need to worry. Just come back tomorrow. Visiting hours are almost over anyway."

"If you're sure." Jade simply smiled. "Alright, call if you need anything."

"Bye, Dre." Andre gave her a brief nod before shooting Beck one last look, and making his exit.

Beck let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. How had he made it out of that without a confrontation? He had no idea. "Well," he said, "If visiting hours are almost over then I should probably get going."

"It's fine. Actually, why don't you stay? Our favorite movie is on TV and starts in a few minutes." Jade wasn't ready for him to leave yet. They were finally on good terms and she somehow felt just a little more like her old self.

"Iron Man?" Beck asked, one eyebrow arched.

"You know it," Jade teased, settling further down into her pillows.

"Fine, I'll stay. But, only for the pure beauty and talent that is Gwyneth Paltrow."

"Whatever. My main reason for loving this movie is the overwhelming sexiness that is Robert Downey Junior."

"Fair enough." And with that, Beck leaned back in his chair to get more comfortable as Jade turned on the television and flipped through the channels.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*

Jade didn't even make it through half of the movie. She was fast asleep before Tony Stark had even escaped the terrorist cell. But Beck, on the other hand, had remained awake for the entirety of the movie. He wasn't really watching, but contemplating what had happened in the last few hours. Friends, that's what he and Jade were now. Just friends. And, surprisingly, even to himself, Beck was okay with that. He had really screwed up with Tori. In fact, he had really screwed up a lot in general. And, he was thankful that Jade even wanted to be friends with him at all. Sure, it would take some getting used to but, it would be worth it. Jade still loved him, and that was enough for him.

"Excuse me, young man? Visiting hours are over. Are you family?" a soft, Scottish accent drew Beck out of his wonderings. He stood to face the voice.

"Oh, no ma'am. I'm Jade's boy-" But he wasn't anymore. He wasn't Jade's anything but a friend. "I'm Jade's friend."

"Oh, well then I'm sorry, dear, but you'll have to wait in the waiting room until visiting hours resume like the rest of Jade's friends. I'm terribly sorry." The plump nurse brush frizzy red hair out of her hair and gave Beck a kind smile.

"It's alright, ma'am. I understand." Without a word the nurse left. Beck looked back down at Jade from his standing position next to her bed. He was about to lean down and brush his lips over her temple in a silent goodbye when he realized he'd better not. Friends, they were friends. And, that meant that he needed to start acting more like a friend and less like a boyfriend. If he didn't he'd just psych himself out. So, instead he just whispered a soft, "Goodnight, Jade," and made his way to the waiting room.

Once he arrived he found a sleeping Cat curled up in an uncomfortable looking chair. "Hey," he whispered softly. "I though Andre was taking you home."

"He was supposed to but I didn't want to leave." Her voice betrayed just how tired she was but, her face let him know that she could see right through him. "Apparently I'm not the only one." And then, as if she'd never been awake at all, Cat instantly fell back asleep.

A tiny grin slipped onto Beck's lips as he too got as comfortable as possible and fell asleep.

**HI!**

**So, I know that it's been pretty much forever and I'm really sorry. I really am. I'm sure you all hate me. But, I made this chapter a bit longer in hopes of making my long absence up to you. This isn't beta'd so I'm sorry for that but, I just really wanted to get this up for all of my lovely readers. If there are any typos simply ignore them or let me know in a review or PM (hint hint). I had a little trouble writing the beginning of this chapter. I literally struggled with it for three days. But, once I finally figured out what I was trying to say, it all just kind of flowed. So, hopefully you all really love this chapter. And, pretty please, REVIEW!**

**Love, always,**

**May**


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